Posts Tagged ‘Job Search’

Job hunting can be one of the most exhilarating and yet one of the most agonizing experiences in your life. While you look forward to the new stage in your professional life, finding a way to stand out from other candidates, who are at least equally certified for the spot you want, is a hard task.

Your resume is the first contact your the makings employer has with you. A well formatted and a well-written resume can make a difference between getting the interview and getting the job, and being passed over. Most employers receive a stack of resumes of certified candidates and scan them quickly previous to they choose whether or not hey want to read further. You only have a few seconds to make a lasting impression. Don’t panic. Instead, focus on the design of your resume as it is the first thing your employer, whether on document or in electronic form.

The most commonly made mistake in resume design include using templates that are already available in Microsoft Word. While these templates provide a instant , simple to follow tools to make your resume, they are outdated, and they will make your resume appear generic and uninviting. Additionally, these templates, while well formatted in Microsoft Word, will not translate well when emailed or uploaded to job search engine web sites.

Second most commonly made mistake in resume design is inclusion of graphics on the page. Your picture and/or any other graphics are not appropriate for a resume. Including anything outside of plain text will make you stand out in a way that makes the employer reckon you are not taking yourself seriously as a professional, and this is certainly not the first impression you want to make. You can find samples of resumes on the Internet; search for resumes by your industry to find the templates that make most sense for the job you are seeking. Than work on a bemused page to imitate the look and feel of the resume you like.

The subsequent are basic formatting rules for your resume:

- Limit the length of the resume to two pages.

- The page must have one-inch margins, top and bottom, aptly and left.

- Use left justification only – as a rule, do not center the content of your resume.

- The font and font size must be consistent.

- The bullet points must be basic – use circles or squares, but never any symbols that may not translate well when you email your resume to your the makings employer.

- Headlines can be in all caps; the remaining text must not have special formatting.

- Do not underline any of the information in your resume. In the world of Internet driven job applications, underlining in a document implies a web link.

- The font size for headlines must not exceed 14 points; the remainder of the text in the resume must not exceed 12 points.

- Use the Tab key instead of the Space bar to make spaces between the text in your resume.

As a last formatting check point, question your friends or your family for help in reviewing your resume. Send the resume file via email to a few of your friends – question them to assess the resume and make sure nothing seems out of house . Print out the resume on document and assess to make sure that margins are accurately set, and that the content doesn’t appear crowded on the page. Keep in mind – when it comes to your resume, sleek simple appearance, and fantastic writing, will get you the job you are seeking.

The first and most prominent item on your resume if your name and contact information. Your name is typically in the largest font, standing apart from all other text on your resume. A common mistake professionals make is trying to emphasize their name in a special font type. As it is hard to anticipate the software and its version your the makings employer is using, you run a risk of not knowing exactly how your name will show up on their screen. Stick to the basic font types – Arial and Times New Roman are most commonly used and are least risky when it comes to formatting your resume. Don’t go overboard on the font size either. Your name must be in point size 14 or 16; all other headings must be in 12 or 14 point font, while the remaining text of your resume must be between 10 and 12 points. Along with your name, the very top of your resume must control your mailing address, your email address, and at least one phone number where you can be reached. It is best to include a physical mailing address over a P.O. Box, whenever possible. You must never include an email address at your current house of employment (believe us, it happens). A helpful hint about listing your email address – make sure that it contains your name, as this helps you appear more professional. You can make a free Yahoo email account; it also maybe helpful to have one email address as a point of contact for your job search. At least one phone number must be plotted ; make sure to indicate if you are listing a home or a mobile number. If you have a professional web site, you can include the address to it along with your contact information. Please note, only do so if there isn’t anything on the web site that is personal; the only reason your the makings employer may want to look at a web site is if your professional portfolio or a copy of your resume can be found there.

Whether you choose to make a chronological or a functional resume, you will need to separate the information by headings. The best advice we can give you is to keep the part headings professional and stick to the basics. Don’t try to come up with creative titles for your professional summary, or for your qualifications. Your chronological resume must have the subsequent sections/titles:

- career objective

- professional summary (discretionary )

- professional experience/work experience/experience

- education

- publications/special achievements (if applicable)

- qualifications/skills

- references/references and portfolio

A functional resume is slightly different, and the headings you chose will truly depend on the skills you are trying to highlight. You must include:

- career objective

- education

- professional skills/professional qualifications (this part will include sub-headings as they relate to specific qualifications you want to promote, such as communications, customer relations, managements, etc.)

- work experience/work history (if applicable; must only include dates, titles, companies and locations without listing responsibilities)

- volunteer work/activities (if applicable)

- references

These are the typical sections of chronological and functional resumes. Do some investigate on resume styles and find sample resumes of professionals in your industry. You may need to adjust these headings based on your field, even if the content must be consistent across industries. Stick to the basics; don’t try to be creative in order to stand out. A professional and polished resume will get you noticed, so do your best to make a resume that is error free and best supports your career objective.

If you have never written a resume, the bemused page you are facing can be very intimidating. While you can clarify your job responsibilities to your friends, listing them out in a resume and showcasing how your experience to date meets your career objectives is a very hard task.

To get started, you must first consider what type of a job you are seeking. Much like your career objective or summery must reflect your professional goals, your current and past experiences must show case that you are the best candidate for the job you are applying for. In listing your current and past professional experiences, try to focus on those responsibilities that indicate you are certified to take the next step in your career. Due to the fact that more and more companies as well as job search sites use scanning software to pick out candidates, it is very valuable that you use key words, including active verbs, to clarify your skills. Instead of beginning your job descriptions with “Responsible for” try to use active verbs such as:

- managed

- urban

- made

- communicated

- interfaced

- achieved, etc.

These key words get straight to the point of describing your responsibilities, which is exactly what the employers are looking for. Chose these words wisely – don’t say that you “managed a project”, implying you were responsible for the whole task from start to end if you were only responsibly for communicating the project to other friends . Instead state that you “Urban and executed the interaction strategy for friends ,” describing your role more accurately and emphasizing your strengths.

Typically, the first job plotted on your resume is the one you currently hold. In this case, make sure that your responsibilities are stated in present tense, as you are still responsible for them. For example, say “Manage accounting activities” instead of “Managed accounting activities.” This will indicate to your the makings employer what your day-to-day activities are like and how they compliment responsibilities of the job you are submitting your resume for. All previous jobs must be plotted using past tense, and must start with active verbs such as managed, urban , accomplished, etc.

Additionally, make sure that responsibilities you are listing are relevant for to your career objective. List only those responsibilities which help you place your best foot forward. For example, if you are looking for a job that requires managing a team of people, focus on your development and participation in group projects instead of focusing on solitary activities such as office organization.

In terms of formatting, make sure that your responsibilities are plotted in bullet points. This formatting is preferred to paragraphs on a resume because it is simpler to assess quickly. Employers simply scan the resumes and look for key words – if the resume looks overwhelming, with a lot of copy and poor formatting, they will liable discard it. Thus, it is very valuable that your resume is formatted with enough white space and doesn’t control any errors.

Writing a resume is a hard task regardless of your level of experience with the process. While the content of your resume is critical to its effectiveness, the layout and the format you utilize are equally as valuable . To get started, you must investigate various resume styles and find out which best stouts your field. The largest mistake people make when composing their resume is using a generic template provided in your text editing software, like Microsoft Word. These templates are usually outdated and very hard to format, not to mention that they do not transfer well to online job applications. Avoid the instant -fix mentality of these resume templates, and invest some time in finding resources that will provide you with up-to-date helpful ways to compose a winning resume.

The simplest and least expensive way to find samples of resumes in your industry is to do a search on the internet. Previous to you get started, a word of caution: consider the sources of information previous to you choose to utilize any of their suggestions on your resume. You will come across web sites that promise to teach you how to enter an exception cover letter in three and a half minutes. Don’t believe them. Unless you chose to hire a resume writing service, obtaining resources on resume writing must not cost you any money or obligate you to a long-term commitment. If unsure of the credibility on information you see, find another source and compare your findings.

A fantastic online store on resume composition is Monster.com. While they are mostly known for their job search database, they offer a variety of other information and services for those looking for employment. Under the Career Advice tab, you will find a wealth of information on your job search, salary requirements, advice by industry, and of course, information on perfecting your resume. In addition to articles about your job search and resume-correlated message boards, Monster’s Resume Center includes a variety of resume examples for professionals in a number of different industries. From administrative assistants to web designers, all can find a sample of a resume to fit their career objectives at:

http://resume.monster.com/archives/samples/

This page shows you samples of functional and chronological resumes, traditional resumes and sample cover letters. Take the time to assess these samples. They are provided by a reliable source, so don’t be frightened to copy the formatting for your own resume (of course, do not copy the real text from the resume).

If you already have a draft of your resume, and are looking to make updates or revisions, check out the Resume Makeovers for a fantastic look at previous to and after resume of real professionals:

http://resume.monster.com/resume_samples/

It is valuable that you assess these samples, even if the industry is not applicable to your line of work. They will teach you the basic dos and don’ts of resume writing – you can see why some things work and why others don’t, and be able to chose the best ways to highlight your qualifications.

Same school rules apply – do not copy someone else’s work. But , use these resources to your advantage and make the resume that presents you in the best set alight .

In order to seek out and apply for the jobs you are interested in, you will most liable post your profile and resume on a job search web site, such as monster.com or hotjobs.com. These search engines allow you to upload your resume in a Microsoft Word or text file format, or make one using their forms.

Outside of the job search web sites, e-mailing your resume as form of application has become typical . But , each employer or headhunter has different rules on the file they will accept via e-mail. Most companies will accept an attachment in Microsoft Word – this is why you have to be conscious of the font type and size, as well as margins you are using when composing your resume. If a company is requesting a text file, you must follow these steps to convert your Microsoft Word document into a text resume:

- Select File, Save As

- Name the file; as a best practice, use your name as the file name, and use underscores as spaces

- Under Format, select Text Only

- Select Save.

Now that you have converted your file to a text file, make sure to open it and assess how the spaces, tabs, and bullet points have transferred over. You may need to do some edits in order to format the resume to fit the file type. Note that the plain text file doesn’t allow for bolding, italicizing or underlining. Make sure that all your text is left justified and that the spacing is right .

If an employer questions that you include your resume in the body of an email, treat this as a text file when formatting. Copy and paste your whole resume in an email. Keep the font styles basic; use Arial or Times New Roman fonts and keep the size at 10 or 12 points. Adjust all the spacing and bullet points as appropriate. A excellent rule to follow is to keep the email simple – avoid bolding or italicizing text since you don’t really know the type of email software your recipient is using or if the accept HTML or text emails only.

If you are sending your resume as an attachment, format the body of your email as a cover letter. At the top of the email, include your name and address, as well as the address of your recipient. Typically, the address can be found either on the job listing or at the company’s web site. If you are sending the resume in the body of the email, follow the same guidelines in terms of the email content. Don’t make an assumption that including a resume in the body of an email is the only information you must include in your message to your the makings employer. Even if the resume is copied into the email, you still need to let your employer know a small bit more about yourself via a cover letter. But , since you will include your address at the top of the email, feel free to start your resume with a career objective instead of including the bearing with your name and address.

Much like proofing is critical in perfecting your resume, testing how your resume is showed in a body of an email or how it opens as an attachment via another notebook is valuable . Revive your friends or family for help, and send them sample emails with your resume included in the body of the message or as an attachment. This will provide a fantastic chance for you to assure that your resume is reaching your the makings employers in the format that is clean and professional.

Facing a bemused page when you are trying to enter a resume can be very scary. You may reckon that you don’t have enough to say about yourself to fill a page; you may be wondering just how to list all of your skills and experience within a single sheet of document . To get started, question yourself some questions about your past jobs and your career goals.

Previous to you even start writing a resume, define the rigorous reasons why you need one. While this may sound simple, it takes more than saying, “I want to get a new job.” Consider your career objective first. Make sure that your goals are specific in terms of industry, spot title, and future professional achievements. Once you are clear on the type of job you are seeking, it will be much simpler to compose a resume that highlights your expertise in the area of your interest.

Once you have your career objective urban , do some investigate on a resume format that is most commonly used and may be most appropriate for your industry. Search the Internet or check out the books in your local library to get a better thought of what well-written professional resumes look like. Once you find a format that best suits your field and your career objective, use the same layout to get started.

When listing your personal information at the top of the resume, include your address, home and/or mobile phone number, and your email address. A helpful hint about listing your email address – make sure that it contains your name, as this helps you appear more professional. You can make a free Yahoo email account; it also maybe helpful to have one email address as a point of contact for your job search.

Previous to you start listing your experiences, make sure to list them out on a separate sheet of document , in chronological order, starting with the most recent job you had (possibly the job you are presently holding). List up to five previous jobs you have held, even if make sure that your resume does not exceed two pages in length. Make sure that are plotted in order; don’t skip any of your employments as this will make gaps in your professional history.

When listing your education, start with your college attendance and go to your most recent accomplishments. If you never attended college, make sure to include any courses, even if they were taken as training at your previous jobs, which will help in showcasing your qualifications. In terms of skills, make sure to list, in bullet point form, all of the abilities that confirm that you are the best candidate for the job you are seeking.

You can omit references from your resume, but let your the makings employer know that you can provide them if de rigueur . You can do so in the cover letter or by including a line at the bottom of your resume that simply states, “Professional references available upon request.”

As your final check point, question a friend or a family member to assess your resume, and give you feedback. Having a second pair of eyes can help you right any typos, or even result in to your attention anything that appears doubtful or confusing. A well-written, error-free resume will help you place your best foot forward and get the job that exceeds your career goals.

A career objective, often plotted as objective only on your resume, is a statement of your career goals. It sounds simple – you want to get a excellent job, utilize your experience and education, and get paid well. But , this is the most hard part of the resume to compose, as you are limited to one to two sentences in which you are expected to convey your professional expertise, expectations from a job and an organization, as well as goals for your professional growth. Doesn’t sound so simple now, does it?

The most common mistake people make is not listing an objective. Most people operate under the assumption that the objective is not de rigueur to include in a resume because it states the obvious – your objective is to get the job you are applying for. But , this is a huge misconception. Employers are looking for an objective; they want to know what it is that you are looking for in order to determine whether or not you are a excellent match for their company.

The second most common mistake is including a career objective that doesn’t really express your goals and your qualification. For example, a statement like the one below is commonly used is resumes:

“To take a spot where my experience and education can be utilized and expanded.”

If you examine this statement, you will find it doesn’t say anything specific about what you are looking for in terms of professional growth. Avoid using generic statements like this. They will hurt you more than help you in your job search, because your employer will be left with an impression that you don’t have a set a goal in mind.

Now that you know what not to do, here are some helpful tips on making a winning career objective that will get your resume noticed and get your foot in the door. First, make your career objective personal. Reckon of your whole resume as a sales tool; your career objective is your opening statement. You want your employer to know what you want, not just restate what other people want. Second, you want to state your commitment to your career goal. If you are unsure of what you want, how is your employer to believe that you really want the job at their organization and you are not just applying because you want to get out of your current work environment? Don’t be frightened to state what you want from a job and from an organization. Third, while you want to state your commitment, you also want to show that you are willing to take action to achieve your goal. Indicate what direction or action you are willing to take in order to accomplish your career objective. Fourth and most valuable thing in a successful career objective is being specific about what you are looking for in a work circumstances . While you can say that you are looking for a “challenging” environment, this doesn’t mean anything to your employer, as people define challenges in various ways. Avoid using generic and broad terms. Simply state what you want, and what you are willing to do to get it.

Maintenance in mind these criteria, let’s revise the above career objective statement so that it successfully states what you want.

“To take a spot of a sales representative in a health insurance industry, where I can utilize my management and customer relations skills, with the chance for routine -based progress .”

This statement tells a the makings employer that you know what kind of job you want, what experience you have in order to get the spot , and what you are willing do to become a successful professional with the company. Thus, you have just made a winning career objective for your resume.

Having a well-formatted resume is nearly as valuable as having a well written resume. Most employers receive a stack of resumes of certified candidates and scan them quickly previous to they choose whether or not hey want to read further. In addition to key words, what stands out the most about your resume is its format. It is essentially the first thing people will notice, whether on document or in electronic form.

There are a number of rules you must keep in mind when formatting your resume. First, start with a bemused page. Avoid using templates that are already available in Microsoft Word. These templates are outdated, and they will make your resume appear generic and uninviting. Additionally, these templates, while well formatted in Microsoft Word, will not translate well when emailed or uploaded to job search engine web sites. You can find samples of resumes on the Internet; search for resumes by your industry to find the templates that make most sense for the job you are seeking. Than work on a bemused page to imitate the look and feel of the resume you like.

Ideally, your resume must fit on one page; if you have extensive experience, limit the length of the resume to two pages, but only list experiences and skills relevant to your career objective. Even if you are applying for a job in a creative field, do not insert images or cinema into your resume. If you are looking to show off your creativity, you can do so in a separate portfolio of your work.

The page must have one inch margins, top and bottom, aptly and left. Use left justification only – as a rule, do not center the content of your resume. The font and font size must be consistent. Your name, and any headlines in your resume must be showed in the same manner. Typically, the headlines will be in all caps, and in bold. Try not to underline any of the information in your resume. In the world of Internet driven job applications, underlining in a document implies a web link. Thus, using underlining for emphasis is not appropriate. The font size for headlines must not exceed 14 points; the remainder of the text in the resume must not exceed 12 points.

When trying to align your resume, be ware of spacing and tabbing. Stay consistent in the way that you are spacing out the information on the page. Use tabs, very than spaces. You always have to anticipate that the person you are sending your resume to may have a different version of the software than you and thus may not see the exactly the same resume you are sending – it is possible that the margins will reset, paragraphs will shift, bullet points will change shape, etc. This is why you must keep the spacing consistent, as well as try to keep the font and the bullet points as basic as possible.

As a last formatting check point, question your friends or your family for help in reviewing your resume. Send the resume file via email to a few of your friends – question them to assess the resume and make sure nothing seems out of house . Print out the resume on document and assess to make sure that margins are accurately set, and that the content doesn’t appear crowded on the page. Keep in mind – when it comes to your resume, sleek simple appearance, and fantastic writing, will get you the job you are looking for.